New Zions in the Prairie State: Two 19th Century Communities of Faith in Illinois

During the early nineteenth century the United States witnessed a remarkably rich period of religious ferment. One of the results of that ferment was the creation of sectarian communities where those with specific religious convictions could reside together. Two of those communities were in Illinois. One was at Nauvoo, where members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints settled in 1839; the other was at Bishop Hill, where followers of the religious leader Eric Jansson congregated in 1846. These two communities are a part of the rich history of Illinois and this presentation traces how they appeared here.